Contents

Bioweapons have been in use in various times and by various cultures in the course of history. Apparently, their use was not exclusive to the known galaxy either, as Ship remembered the use of the Plague bomb in an ancient war in a far-away galaxy. In addition, the extradimensional Charon were known to employ bioweapons extensively.

The Galactic Empire developed a number of bioweapons during its time as the dominant galactic government, perhaps the most infamous being the Emperor's Plague and a number of other species-specific agents. After the Empire's fragmentation, the various succeeding Imperial Warlords continued to develop new pathogens. The most infamous use of bioweapons in Galactic history was probably the deliberate release of the Krytos virus on Coruscant by Ysanne Isard.

As technology progressed, bioweapons became more refined. In 11 ABY, Imperial scientists had developed sophisticated Nano-destroyers, artificial viruses keyed to a target's genetic makeup that were not only incurable but also completely undetectable by conventional medical means.

By 138 ABY, Darth Maladi had developed an improved version of Alpha Red known as Omega Red which was capable of eradicating entire species. Following the deployment of Darth Kraytelite Sith troopers during the Battle of Taivas, Emperor Roan Fel made a deal with Maladi to deploy the weapon during an assault on Coruscant. In reality, this played into the hands of her master Darth Krayt. It was capable of destroying all sentient lifeforms with the exception of members of the One Sith who were immune to its effects. However, Fel was killed by Antares Draco before he could deploy the deadly bioweapon on Coruscant.[7]

Bioweapons could be synthetically developed, such as Nano-destroyers, or refined from existing substances, such as the Alpha Red pathogen, which was refined from Bafforr tree pollen. While most bioweapons did not see general use (those employed by the Yuuzhan Vong being the exception), they could be used for a variety of purposes. Lethal pathogens such as the Hive virus could be used for annihilating entire populations, while others were more subtle. For example, the Vira606 was administered by the Imperial Security Bureau to some of its agents, making them dependent on constant antiserum injections and ensuring their loyalty.